After pushing back its pre-election break, the Senate has scheduled votes on a number of bills this week, including one meant to address voters’ affordability concerns as the midterms approach. 

Majority Leader Sen. John Thune (R-SD) and a number of GOP leaders originally intended to leave Washington, D.C., last week to bolster Republican campaigns ahead of the Nov. 3 elections. But the Senate decided to stick around to try to push through several pieces of legislation in a last-minute effort to improve election optics.

The upper chamber passed the Protect College Sports Act on Monday, a bill that garnered bipartisan support even as it split Democrats who disagreed on what its impact would be on athletes of color. The legislation would overhaul the college sports industry and has garnered support from key industry organizations, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association. 

But GOP Senators did not want the bill to be their only legislative victory before the midterms. As the party faces mounting pressure from voters, party leaders decided to bring two pieces of legislation — the Ratepayer Protection Act and the Stop Insider Trading Act — to the floor this week.

Though Republican legislators are hopeful these bills will clear the Senate, some Democratic leaders have expressed opposition to the legislation, indicating a turbulent path forward.

The Ratepayer Protection Act, introduced by the embattled Sen. John Husted (R-Ohio), would curb hikes to consumer utility rates caused by data centers. The legislation would address an issue that’s gained attention across the country, and his re-election campaign, as data centers drive up electricity prices through their power usage. 

But Democrats have signaled division over whether they would support the bill. A spokesperson for Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told Politico that the legislation falls short and that the party would seek a “stronger standard.” Democrats also don’t want to hand Husted a win to tout in his campaign against former Sen. Sherrod Brown, whose campaign’s growing momentum may make Ohio a surprise swing state. 

The Senate will also vote on a bill that would place restrictions on the ability of Congress representatives and their family members to buy and trade stocks — an issue that has made frequent headlines over the years. 

This bill has already passed through the House in a contentious 232-198 vote earlier this year, with only 13 Democrats supporting the legislation. Democratic representatives said this was because of the bill’s language related to voter identification laws, which they called a “poison pill,” and argued that the stock provisions don’t go far enough.